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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · field · cabinet · ground · coach · leaves · fan · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. chip — to eat
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — a subject
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — in football
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — crushed
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com